POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE

Otago Daily Times, Volume 13694, Issue 13694, 10 September 1906, Page 6

POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE

OFFICIAL AND MEMO. TELEGRAMS. CPhoh Ocp. Own CoRREsroxDE.VT.) WELLINGTON, September 9. Tho item "Official Telegrams" which appeared in the Postal and Telegraph Estimates led Mr Massey last night to bring up the question of memo, telegrams, of which so much wan heard in the House last year. _ Ho said tlint at the last ((lection liia district was plastered with Ministerial telegrams. Tho Premier replied that the telogranis referred to in the vote were tho ordinary official telegrams sent on departmental business, and naturally these telegrams would be more numerous during the election. It. was true, lie said, that a number of telegrams had been sent with Ministers names attached, but these were paid for, and were not sent as " memos." Mr Fisher said that ho had seen ut least, one " memo." sent to his district during the election, and it- contained a straight-out request for support to- tho Government. . THE TOTALISATOR. Mr Tanner's bill for the limitation of totalizator permits, of which notice was given immediately after the rejection of Mr Ell's bill, aims at the reduction of tho present number of permits by onethird. A similar reduction was carried in 1894, when Sir Robert Stout introduced a measure to thateffect. Mr Tanner considers it futile at present to attempt to secure tho abolition.of the machine, but. 'there is, lie considers, a sufficiently strong feeling in the House in favour of a reduction of permits to give a bill a chance of becoming law if it goes to tho vote. SAN FRANCISCO MAIL. Tho discussion on tho San Francisco mail servico which tool: placo on Friday indicates that another keen debate, and probably a close division may bo expected when tho House in asked to assent to the renewal of the present oontract, which expires in November. It is interesting at tho present time to recall tho numbers of tho two divisions that took placo in connection with the renewal of the service in 1903. Tho lirst was on Mr Millar's amendment to tho motion to go into committee for the purpose of-considering the resolutions submitted by • Sir Joseph Ward regarding ocean mail services—viz., "And

that it bo an instruction to tho committee that- no subsidy bo granled to tho San Francisco mails service." This was lost by 42 to 31. Tlio resolution for the renewal of tho contract was subsequently agreed to by 40 to 31. JOTTINGS. One or two amusing "bulls" have been perpetrated in tho Houe during the past week. In his speech on tho Financial debate the Minister of Education (Mr iFowlds), in discoursing on tho land question, electrified his fellow members bv saying, in reference to Mr Massey: "If I °li vo l on g enough to be dead before the hon, gcntle'man." On Friday night Mr Izard convulsed (he 1101150 by Bravely declaring that "I recognise the handwriting on the wall of the South Pacific Ocean." Tho shout of laughter that followed woke up tlio sleeping members of the House and drowned tlio lion, momber's remainingremarks on tho possibilities of Japanese aggression.